We are proud to be a 'Level 3 Disability Confident Leader'. 

If you have a reasonable adjustment regarding the recruitment process, that you wish to discuss, to help support your way of showing the strengths required, then please contact us for further information on how we could assist. This may include:

• A phone call to our team to discuss the process
• Gaining support to be able to process interview questions
• Identifying different ways to receive the same information.

You may wish to contact our IM Able diversity contacts to hear how they have been supported.

If you require adjustments when you join you can complete a ‘wellbeing passport’ and fill in your details regarding your current or ongoing situation, what this looks like, and what support you would like and when. This will be passed to your supervisor (and team) to understand your way of working. As a trainee this can be passed to each seat supervisor as you train.

Please find detailed below the recruitment process when applying for a:

• Solicitor Training Contract
• Solicitor Apprentice role
• Paralegal Apprentice role or non-legal Apprentice role.

What to expect when you apply for a Solicitor Training Contract

2026 Training Contract opportunities open on Monday 13 October 2025 until 1 December 2025

Stage 1 – Application & online strengths-based assessment, including video interview

The first stage of the recruitment process involves a short online form where you will give your basic personal information and academic record.

Don’t worry, this is for reporting purposes only, we have blind screening approach throughout our recruitment process which means your personal and academic information isn’t shared with any of our assessors at any stage.

We will then invite you to complete a strengths-based assessment. We recommend you allow up to two hours to complete this.

It’s important to us that everybody has an equal chance to succeed. The strengths approach explores what motivates and energises you, rather than placing too much emphasis on what experience you might have (as not everyone has legal experience).

As part of the online assessment, you will be asked to answer some video interview questions. We are only interested in your answers, so please don’t feel the background in your video needs to be perfect. We realise that most of you will be in your house-share bedroom or at your parents dining room table (with those awkward family photos from school behind you!). We also want to see the real you so please don’t worry about your personal style coming through (piercings, tattoos, purple hair all allowed).

There won’t be an assessor on the video, the questions will appear as text. You will have 30 seconds to prepare and two minutes to give your answer. Make sure you use the time effectively – be concise but make sure you answer all parts of the question in as much detail as you can. Focus on the future rather than giving lots of examples of past experiences. Please take a pause if you need some thinking time rather than ending the video prematurely.

With AI, we know you’ll use it as a resource tool but remember not to rely on it completely or read directly from it when answering the questions.

Following the online assessment, regardless of the outcome, a feedback report outlining your key strengths and development areas will be emailed to you.

Stage 2 – Assessment Centre

If successful following the online assessment, we’ll invite you to attend one of our assessment centres. You will be assessed by colleagues, who have all been through unconscious bias training.

Assessment centres will take place across February and March.

The assessment centre is designed to test the key strengths required to be a high-performing trainee at Irwin Mitchell.

Scroll to the bottom of this page to hear what some assessors from our diversity groups like to see at assessment centre.

We will inform all candidates who attend our assessment centres of the outcome of their application.

Stage 3 – Insight Day & Final Assessment

The final stage of our recruitment process takes place in May.

The Insight Day gives everyone a chance to discover the office you have applied to, the people you will be working with, and the role you’ll be doing.

There are some assessed elements, and you will be able to assess us, and ask questions to make sure we’re the right firm for you.

Solicitor Apprentice recruitment process

2026 Solicitor Apprentice opportunities will go live on 26 January 2026 and close on Tuesday 17 February 2026.

Stage 1 and Stage 2 follow the same process as our solicitor training contract therefore please see above regarding each stage.  Some further information, hints and tips are below.

Stage 1 - Short online form, strengths-based assessment, and video interview.

Applications open on Monday 26 January 2026 and you can register your application from this date.

You will initially complete a short online form with your personal details, but these are just for reporting reasons - our blind screening approach means your information won't be shared with our assessors at any stage.

You will then be sent an email with a link to our online strengths-based assessment which you need to submit within seven days – it should take you around two hours to complete. When you register make sure you feel you’ve done your research and are ready to complete the questionnaire and video interview questions. 

When completing the series of questions and recording your video answers think about your communication style, check your onscreen background, and look at the camera.

Stage 2 – Assessment centre

Applications close on Tuesday 17 February 2026 and then the early careers team will review your online assessment score and video interview.

The assessment centres will take place in April 2026 and as mentioned above, in the trainee solicitor section, you will take part in exercises to assess your strengths in relation to the Solicitor Apprentice role.

If you're successful at this stage, you will be made an offer to start in September 2026.

Paralegal Apprentice and non-legal apprentice recruitment process

2026 Paralegal apprentice and non-legal apprenticeship opportunities will go live on 26 January 2026 and close on Tuesday 17 February 2026.

The process is broken down into three stages:

1. Application, including a CV

2. Telephone interview (for most roles)

3. Assessment Centre.

If you're successful at each stage, you will progress through to the next.

Here are some tips on creating a good CV:

• How To Write Your First CV - Step by Step Guide for Students
• How to write a CV | National Careers Service.

Some useful tips about AI when applying for your first jobs:

• GetMyFirstJob | Find Your First Job or Apprenticeship
• Youth Employment UK.

For those who reach the telephone interview stage, we would encourage you to have spent some time researching Irwin Mitchell so you can understand why our organisation and the apprentice opportunities we have are of particular interest to you.  

If you're successful at each stage, you will progress through to the next.

Tips to help you succeed

• Do your research about the firm and show your passion for the type of work we do
• Understand your motivations for wanting to apply and convey them convincingly
• Consider what you have done/will do to grow and develop your career at Irwin Mitchell.
• Research the specific business area(s) you're interested in
• Tell us why you want an apprenticeship or training contract with us
• Include relevant work experience, volunteering, and extra-curricular activities if completing a CV
• Proofread any written application
• Be yourself.

Meet our Assessors

We like a wide variety of fee earners, across our diversity groups, to be involved in our assessment process. We asked some recent assessors at our apprentice and trainee assessment centres, including the leaders of our some of diversity groups, what they look for when they assess – see some responses below.

You can also read our Instagram feed about our diversity leads route into law and the diversity groups they champion.

Alex Shorey (Legal Director, Asbestos & Occupational Disease, Birmingham) - assessor for apprentices 

"From my perspective, I look for candidates who show a real passion and interest in the practice area they are applying to (AOD in my case). Focused research is therefore particularly impressive. Lots of candidate's research IM generically, whereas the best apprentices research the specific team they're applying to (who are the senior team members, what sort of cases do we deal with, recent successes, etc).

"Beyond that, candidates who use life experiences (e.g. from school or part time/temp jobs they may have had) to shape their answers come across well. Examples of how a candidate has had experience handling difficult situations or conversations, or how they have worked as part of a team to achieve a shared goal tend to ensure candidates stand out. 

"Successful candidates are those who are best prepared and display the above traits so as to offer well rounded and mature answers at interview.”

Paula Walkden (Costs Operational Delivery Director, Sheffield) - assessor for paralegal apprentices for our Costs team

 “Candidates should demonstrate a clear understanding of what the apprenticeship entails and show genuine enthusiasm for the opportunity. I value those who articulate how they plan to balance work and study, and who show awareness of the long-term career progression available through the programme.

"Strong verbal and written communication are essential. I assess how candidates present themselves, respond to questions, and engage with the panel. This includes their ability to explain their motivations, reflect on past experiences, and ask thoughtful questions.

"I consider how well the candidate would integrate into our team culture. This includes their interpersonal skills, professionalism, and ability to work collaboratively. Recent successful candidates stood out for their maturity, enthusiasm, and readiness to contribute meaningfully from day one.

£Given the demands of legal apprenticeship roles, I look for signs of resilience—how candidates have handled challenges or setbacks—and their ability to adapt to new environments and expectations.

"Candidates who have taken time to research the legal costs as a profession or who show an understanding of the broader legal landscape tend to stand out.”

IM Respect – Leena Savjani (Partner, Medical Negligence, London)

“A candidate who is driven, enthusiastic and dynamic. Litigation is challenging and we work with clients who have suffered significant injuries and trauma – candidates also need to be compassionate and driven to get the best outcomes for our clients.”

IM Equal – Christopher Hurlston (Senior Associate, Medical Negligence, Birmingham)

“Candidates who project genuine warmth and excellent people skills always leave a positive impression. Our clients represent the full spectrum of backgrounds and circumstances so the ability to adapt and maintain a human element makes all the difference. A grounded approach and sense of humour are always welcome.”

IM Able –Anna Vroobel (Senior Associate, Medical Negligence, London)

“In my experience, the best candidates at assessment centre really focus on what question is being asked, and take their time to consider their response before speaking. It sounds obvious but when the adrenaline is flowing it requires strong discipline to stay focused on the details.”

IM Powered – Sally Sargesson (Costs Team Leader, Sheffield)

“A great candidate to me is someone who is inquisitive and keen to learn and not afraid to ask questions to broaden their knowledge; someone who is passionate about their hopes and aspirations; someone who can apply new thinking to create a solution.

"I also look for transferrable life skills – I understand that not everyone is lucky enough to have undertaken work experience in a law firm however other life skills can be gained in all sorts of environments ie working with clients (customers); building on communication skills, working in a team and to be able to apply these transferrable skills is a really good grounding for a legal career.”